01Day 0 - 1
Free portfolio review
NES reviews the property's master-meter invoices, occupancy data, and unit mix, confirms RUBS is the right fit, and recommends the allocation formula.
Recover utility costs where meters can't go.
RUBS allocates the master-meter bill across units by occupancy, square footage, and fixtures. It is the proven path when submetering isn't viable. NES runs it turn-key: allocation, resident billing, AR, and disputes.
Live in 30 daysno construction required
Up to 100%of the master bill can be allocated
Per-statedisclosure tracked in-house
Convertiblemigrate to submetering later
Quick answer
What is RUBS billing?
RUBS is the Ratio Utility Billing System, a method that splits a multifamily property's master-meter utility bill across each unit using factors like occupancy, square footage, bedroom count, and water fixture count. It's the standard alternative to submetering when physical meter installation isn't viable. NES is a turn-key RUBS company that handles allocation, resident billing, AR, and dispute resolution end-to-end.
- Live in 30 days from contract, no construction
- No capex, no equipment installation required
- Per-state RUBS disclosure tracked in-house
- Convertible to submetering later on the same contract
- Up to 100% of the master bill can be allocated to residents
What it is
A formula that splits the master-meter bill across each unit.
RUBS is a method of billing multifamily and commercial real estate that distributes utility costs to each resident based on several factors. The combination of factors varies by state and is fully disclosed to residents per state statute. The result: residents pay for their share of usage, and the owner stops absorbing the full master-meter bill.
- Occupancy of the unit
- Square footage of the unit
- Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Number of water fixtures
When RUBS makes sense
Older buildings, plumbing constraints, prohibitive retrofit cost.
Submetering is the most accurate form of utility billing because it measures exact usage. But in some properties (pre-1990 construction, slab plumbing, or buildings where there isn't space to install a meter on the incoming water lines) physical submetering isn't possible. In those cases, RUBS is the best solution. It deploys in cycle 1 with no construction, and you can migrate to submetering later on the same NES contract whenever capex is approved.
Beyond billing
NES handles every aspect, end to end.
NES is a turn-key RUBS company. The same team that calculates the allocations also pays the underlying utility bills, sends the monthly resident statements, collects the AR, and resolves disputes, all in-house. NES can also take over RUBS billing on your existing real estate without re-issuing accounts. Outsourcing billing and collections can save your team thousands of hours a year.
How RUBS deploys
Live in 30 days. No construction.
RUBS skips the install entirely. Four steps from contract to the first cycle billing residents off the agreed allocation formula.
02Week 1
Confirm allocation formula
Owner signs off on the factors (occupancy, square footage, bedroom count, fixture count) per the state's RUBS disclosure rules.
03Week 2 - 3
Disclosure & PMS sync
NES files state-required disclosures, drafts the resident notice, and connects to your PMS (Yardi, RealPage, Entrata, AppFolio, MRI, ResMan, Rent Manager, AMSI).
04Day 30 onward
First cycle bills
First RUBS cycle hits resident statements. NES handles AR, disputes, and resident customer service from the in-house bilingual team.
What clients say
Nothing but a positive experience working with NES. Anita never fails to help assist us with everything we need both quickly and efficiently!
Nicole
Property Manager
More from NES
Everything else NES does in-house.
NES is a turn-key utility management company. Most of our clients use more than one service. Here’s the rest of what we run.
Submetering
Water, gas, and electric submetering for multifamily communities, condos, commercial properties, and residential parks.
- 15-40% utility savings
- 12-18 month ROI on most installs
Utility Bill Pay
NES pays your water, gas, electric, trash, and internet bills and recovers them from residents.
- One bill for residents, all utilities
- Real-time online reporting
Collections
Outsource rent, HOA, and utility collections to a dedicated in-house NES team.
- Door hangers, tiered letters, skip tracing
- Saves your team hundreds of hours a month
Submeter Replacement & Equipment
Buy or lease nonproprietary submeters at cost: Badger, Cereniti, MasterMeter, Neptune, NextCentury, Norgas, Sensus & more.
- Nonproprietary, read by any vendor
- Includes extended NES warranty
MyReads Leak Detection
Automatic email alerts when a unit's water usage spikes, so you catch a running toilet the same day.
- Reads several times daily
- Customizable alert sensitivity
Temporary Verification & Auditing
Temporary ultrasonic clamp-on meters on the water lines that matter, so you can verify usage and find leaks without cutting a pipe.
- No pipe cutting, no shutoff to install
- Verify usage and find leaks by zone
1968
Privately owned since 1968
30 days
Typical RUBS go-live from contract
No CapEx
Zero construction, zero equipment install
43+
State disclosure regimes tracked in-house
Bilingual
In-house call center, English + Spanish standard
Common questions
What property managers ask about RUBS.
There is no equipment to buy and no construction, so there is no upfront cost. The ongoing service is priced by property or portfolio size, not as a percentage of what you recover. A free review of your master-meter bills and unit mix gets you an exact quote, and billing can be live in about 30 days.
Submetering is the most accurate form of utility billing because it measures exact usage by residents. However, in some situations it isn't possible to install submeters on the incoming water lines due to lack of space. In those cases RUBS is the best solution.
Yes. NES is a turn-key RUBS company that handles every aspect from paying the utility bills to collections. NES can also take over billing on your existing real estate. Outsourcing your billing and collections can save thousands of hours and allow you to better manage your portfolio.
Yes. RUBS can be the bridge while planning a capex submetering install. When you're ready, NES slots the install in on the same contract, with no vendor change and no re-onboarding.
RUBS can be live in 30 days from contract because there's no construction. The first bill cycles off the master meter using the agreed allocation formula.
RUBS and pass-through billing are regulated state-by-state. NES has an in-house compliance team that tracks every state's submetering, RUBS disclosure, and PUC rules. Disclosure language and rate filings are handled. NES won't put a billing arrangement in place that isn't defensible in an audit.
Common questions, answered.
Get started
Get a RUBS quote. Live in 30 days.
Tell us the property, the master-meter spend, and the resident count. An NES specialist will return a no-obligation RUBS quote and disclosure plan within one business day.